Embattled Ghanaian footballers Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah are in the news for the wrong reasons after Major League Soccer (MLS) handed them lifetime bans over betting offenses.

A statement from MLS explained that the players were found to have engaged in gambling on matches between the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

It was revealed that both players placed bets on Jones receiving a yellow card, which occurred during a Columbus Crew match against the New York Red Bulls on October 19, 2024. Jones and Yeboah were teammates at Columbus Crew during the 2024 season.

Match-Fixing Scandal: Two Ghanaian stars receive lifetime ban for betting on games

This article details the profiles of both Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah, spanning their club and international careers.

Derrick Jones

The midfielder was born in Bantama, in the Ashanti Region, and grew up in Ghana. He holds dual citizenship with the United States after his family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2012 when he was 14. After arriving in Philadelphia, he began playing with Junior Lone Star FC, a club founded by West African immigrants.

On December 3, 2015, Jones signed with Bethlehem Steel FC, the Philadelphia Union’s USL affiliate, becoming their first-ever player signing. In July 2016, he signed a Homegrown Player contract with the Philadelphia Union. He continued with Bethlehem Steel for the rest of the 2016 season, recording 5 goals and 3 assists in 26 appearances.

On May 9, 2019, Jones joined MLS expansion club Nashville SC, but after a short stint, he moved to Houston Dynamo in January 2021.

In December 2023, Jones signed a two-year deal with Columbus Crew as a free agent but was later suspended following investigations into betting violations.

International Career

Jones represented Ghana at U15 level but later accepted a call-up to the US U-20 team in October 2016. He played at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, making four appearances as the Americans reached the quarterfinals.

Yaw Yeboah

Yeboah began his career at the Right to Dream Academy in 2008 and graduated in 2014. He joined Manchester City the same year and was loaned to Lille, Twente, and Real Oviedo before permanently signing with Segunda División side CD Numancia.

On August 11, 2020, the winger moved to Polish Ekstraklasa side Wisła Kraków, signing a three-year deal. He played 50 matches across all competitions, scoring 10 goals. In 2022, he transferred to MLS side Columbus Crew, where he made 42 appearances, scoring 5 goals and providing 5 assists.

In January 2025, Yeboah joined Los Angeles FC on a two-year deal. He currently plays for Chinese Super League club Qingdao Hainiu, having signed in February 2026.

International Career

Yeboah featured for the Black Satellites, scoring twice at the 2015 African U-20 Championship and adding two more goals at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

He received his first senior call-up in August 2016, for a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda and a friendly against Russia. Yeboah made his senior debut in a 1–0 friendly loss to Namibia on June 9, 2019.

SB/JE

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